Comment by paxys

4 months ago

So this is just an acquihire right? Can't imagine what HP will do with Humane's "AI software" (aka ChatGPT wrapper).

32 comments

paxys

Reply
ryandrake  4 months ago

Gruber[1] posted that Bloomberg reported[2]: "Humane’s team, including founders Imran Chaudhri and Bethany Bongiorno, will form a new division at HP to help integrate artificial intelligence into the company’s personal computers, printers and connected conference rooms, said Tuan Tran, who leads HP’s AI initiatives."

So they'll hang around as some sort of director-level Thought Leaders or something? Sounds like a safe and lucrative landing.

1: https://daringfireball.net

2: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-02-18/hp-116-mi...

  • lenerdenator  4 months ago

    HP AI-enabled printer?

    What, did the state of California ask them to develop a new punishment for tech workers convicted of murder? Is Hans Reiser being tortured with this?

    • netsharc  4 months ago

      The printer will soon be able to answer your question about ink levels.

      In version 2 it will be able to nag^W persuade you to buy genuine HP ink, by reminding you repeatedly the benefits of genuine HP ink.

    • JaggedJax  4 months ago

      Surely it's so they can feed error messages like "PC LOAD LETTER" into the model and get a sometimes semi-accurate explanation.

  • tyre  4 months ago

    AI Printers, hell yeah brother

    • Workaccount2  4 months ago

      Heeyy morning Jeff! Looks like we are still low on yellow ink today, so I'm probably not going to be able print anything for you. But if you'd like I could order a new cartridge set direct from HP? Would you like me to go ahead with that order or remind you in 15 minutes with another friendly greeting?

      If you like I could call you on your cell to remind you, send you a text, email you, or I could just shout loudly from right here in printer!

      6 replies →

    • bikson  4 months ago

      That's why cylons rebel. "They look and feel like printers. Some are programmed to think they are printer."

  • esskay  4 months ago

    Which means they'll be shoved into an office for a year before being encouraged to move on. There's not really a role there for them, they were a company that made a chatgpt wrapper, the idea that they have a clue how to run an actual AI based operation is laughable.

  • gorbachev  4 months ago

    HP printers are already some of the most anti-consumer printers on the market. Can't wait to see what this group of people manages to achieve. /s

xyst  4 months ago

More like IP acquisition and shelving for future IP litigation if AI bubble continues.

  • locusofself  4 months ago

    This is the only thing that makes sense to me.

    • MBCook  4 months ago

      I agree. You can make an OS for a small device cheaper than that. You can hire the people for less than that.

      I don’t see how they have anything of value at all other than patents.

pwthornton  4 months ago

It seems like that and the 300ish patents. The patents themselves could be worth quite a bit.

It's possible they think the OS and the team that built it could have value if put to better uses than building an AI pin.

  • nikanj  4 months ago

    We are looking at another gold rush where the US patent office lets you patent absolutely anything

    I still remember a few of the previous ones, like ”A mundane everyday thing…on a computer!” and ”The same thing every company has been doing for decades…but over the internet!”

    Be mentally prepared for a few decades of stifled innovation, as every perfectly-ordinary-thing-but-with-ai patent is suppressing the market

  • apetresc  4 months ago

    I mean, if you look at Imran Chaudhri's personal homepage (http://www.imranchaudhri.com) I think you'll get a sense of how valuable those patents might be.